Birth of the knuckleheaded Legend
by halo4hire
Summary: An orphan with a burden, a mask, and the ability to create constructs out of chakra. What could possibly go wrong?


Fear. an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. It's the feeling of watching an unstoppable juggernaut tear through your home with the force of a tsunami and knowing there was little you can do to help the people caught in its path. The air, filled with fury so thick it was suffocating, was all they could feel as the massive force of destructive power swept through the area. This was what was evident to all that lived in the village of Konohagakure, the village hidden in the leaves, as a rampant raging typhoon of chakra known as the bijuu kitsune, The Nine Tailed Fox, destroyed their home.

Many watched in horror, helpless, while others tried and failed to fight back against the overbearing odds that nature had produced. This was the creature of legend that was said to be able to crumble mountains and create tsunamis with a simple wave of one of his tails. The guard of the village amongst them tried to hold back the beast, trying to reduce the rate of casualties, but their weapons would not even scratch the behemoth. Smaller creatures were fighting with the shinobi, summons loyal to the village, but they did nothing to stem the tide. On top of a tall tower an old man watched in fear and despair as he tried to coordinate the troops in ways to distract to giant red fox, trying to mount something that would save his home of seventy years. This man was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the God of Shinobi, the Professor, the former leader of the village and third bearer of the title of 'fire shadow'. He watched as more and more ground was trampled on by the ferocious beast, the ground his teachers, the first two hokage, fought and bled to build the village on. As the Kyuubi roared loud enough to shake the ground and shatter any window that had remained in the buildings around it, a large rusty red toad wearing a blue vest landed in front of the beast, hitting it hard across the snout with a gigantic tobacco pipe, enraging the beast further. Hiruzen watched on as a tall white haired man landed next to him.

"Where is he, Jiraiya? We can't hold out much longer The Fox is tearing through the village like rice paper and nothing we do slows it down. We need the fourth hokage if we're going to make it through this."

"I'm aware, Sensei, but with Kushina giving birth and all….why couldn't I know where my godson was going to be born again? I could have helped stop that…..thing from getting loose from its seal."

The old man glared at his student who matched him with his own glare. "Neither time nor place, Jiraiya. If we survive this, you can ask Minato. In the mean ti…."

Hiruzen's words were cut short as the two men had to leap to another building to avoid being crushed by a massive red tail. The two men watched as the massive tendril crushed half the building they were standing on only seconds before. It fell into a heap of brick and timber.

"Ne sensei, I have an idea that may get it's attention" the white haired man said, as he scratched his chin.

"At this point, I believe I'm open to almost any suggestion" Hiruzen looked at his pupil expectedly.

Before the large man could voice his plan a bright light suddenly filled the air covering the Fox and the large red toad that was being flailed around in the air by one of the tails. With a thunderous crash the light faded, leaving nothing behind but silence and the settling dust.

* * *

 **The morning after, Hokage's office**

"So he was the only one there left alive?"

"Indeed, Lord Hokage, the bodies of the Fourth and the child's mother were found in front of the boy, both with a large hole in their abdomens. We explored the remains of the cavern the mother was hidden in to give birth, but all the medical staff were found dead as well. I'm sorry, my lord. The boy was the only survivor we could find. Also to note, both the body of the Fourth and the boy have trace amounts of the Kyuubi's chakra residue, though the residue signature on the Fourth was fading slowly."

Hiruzen sighed as he leaned back into the chair in the office he just two years ago had retired from, passing it onto the Fourth's shoulders. In the absence of leadership the Council of the Flames had voted to reinstate him into the role until the ANBU had been sent out to try and investigate and bring back news, hoping the hero of the last war had pulled another miracle from out of nowhere. It had been a week since the monstrous fox had suddenly appeared out of thin air and went on a rampage; A week since they last heard from the Fourth Hokage. Hiruzen sighed in remorse. To die when one had just become a father was a tragedy. They had known the problems that could arise, and thought they had taken every precaution, hiding the place of birth, having several seal masters present as well as having hand picked medics in place. Hiruzen's thoughts rambled through different scenarios and possible outcomes that could have happened, his old mind playing with different possibilities before he stood and looked out the window behind him.

The damage to the village was substantial. Almost a third of it was burnt away from the fires set by the miasma like presence of the beast. A quarter of the village was crushed under the monster's feet or smashed by it's flailing tails. Almost a third of the population had been massacred, some by the poisonous effects from the miasma, some by flaming buildings fallen on them, or they had died trying and failing to fight the force of nature. The old man's eyes passed over the weeping families and villagers as they dug through the destruction. In all his seventy-two years, Hiruzen had never felt so old as he pulled on his pipe, not even realizing it had gone out five minutes into the ANBU's report. He turned and looked at the kneeling ANBU and tapped out the burnt tobacco,

"Dog, I assume you will be leaving the force and returning to jōnin ranks once this is settled?"

The ANBU looked up at the Hokage, his face covered with a mask that did absolutely nothing to hide his gravity defying silver hair, "With respect, Lord Third, I would request to be around the word gets out about his….burden. He will be hated. I doubt I will need to be there but war teaches one to be better safe than sorry. It's the least I can do for my sensei's son. I owe him that much and more."

Hiruzen stroked his beard quietly as he listened, plans formulating in his mind, before he sighed and stretched.

"I suppose we should go see what the council has to say first before any plans are made. We may need people of your caliber to keep the other villages from trying to attack us in our moment of weakness. I will do my best to keep you near the boy nonetheless, Kakashi. I owe Mito and Sensei that much that one of her clan survives this mess."

The ANBU bowed and scratched the back of his neck, hoping his request might be approved. The child was going to need someone to guide him as he grew, as he did when his father….passed. His sensei had been his final team leader and tried to help him come to terms with what had happened with his father, and later the deaths of his two teammates during the war. The Fourth and his wife, Kushina, had been there for him when he needed them, and the boy would need him to be the same. Looking at the sleeping babe, Dog made a promise to himself. On the memory of his teacher. Kakashi Hatake, the copycat nin, wielder of a thousand jutsu, the ANBU captain known as Dog for his summoning contract with the Dog Pack, would do his damnedest to be there for the boy, come hell or high water.

* * *

 **yeah, I know, not much. I plan to continue working on it but since I am writing this for a way to fight boredom and depression, might take a while to complete. I hope this sample was enough to at least wet the palette for the rest of the story. This is not my first writing, but it is one I plan to keep. My last one lost the spark I had put in it, so I pulled it down. I'm welcome to ideas and constructive criticism. Flames will be used to cook my dinner.**


End file.
